Travel-Malaysia, Formula 1 Grand Prix, Sepang Circuit

Last year for my husband’s birthday, we took a car, a train and a bus out to Sepang Circuit to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix Race, right here in Malaysia!  Sepang Circuit is located just 40 minutes outside of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), a stone’s throw from the KL International Airport (KLIA).  So we woke up early, grabbed a cab to KL Sentral rainway station and jumped on the KLIA Express train bound for the race track, but not before grabbing a bite to eat at the train station…

After arriving at KLIA, we were surprised how well organized everyone was for this race!  There were signs everywhere, workers ushering us along the paths and directing us towards the buses, volunteers screaming aloud giving the masses of people directions; it was crazy!  We followed the crowds and boarded our shuttle bus bound for Formula 1.  Pulling up to the track, I began to realize how big of an event this actually was…there were people everywhere!  Our excitement grew as we jumped off the bus and made our way up the hill to experience our first Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Taking our seats, we were amazed at the view.  Sitting in Grandstand K1 (for those of you that are interested in seat recommendations for this year’s race), we were able to see the Start/Finish line, the first turn of the race, and the straight away in the distance to our left.  Not to mention a dead-on view of the cars entering and exiting the PIT!  At one point I watched a car drive into the PIT, I counted to 5 and he was already pulling back out again into the race!  Unbelievable!

AND THERE OFF…

The Sepang Circuit International track is a favorite to many racers because of the smooth, sweeping corners, only a few hairpin turns and a wide straight.

Luckily our seats were covered, so we did have a bit of shade, but that didn’t matter in the Malaysian heat.  Thank goodness we packed our camel pack with water!  In fact, it was so hot that during the race the body temperatures of the drivers reached 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit!  It was reported how severely dehydrated they were by the end of the race.

This is a funny picture of me slurping our water, while listening to the commentators on our headphones.  You can rent these at the race to listen in on the action…it’s totally worth it!

LAST LAP!

This is the RED BULL car and the driver that ended up WINNING the race – Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.

After the race ended, we headed back to the parking lot to catch a bus back to the train station.  This was the line we had to wait in!  Needless to say, it took us about 3 1/2 hours to get home.  So if you plan on attending this year’s race, be prepared for large crowds and lots of traffic on the way home.

What a wonderful first experience seeing the Formula 1 Grand Prix here in Malaysia.  For a video that we took of the start of the race, please see below.  I couldn’t believe how LOUD the cars actually were!!!

If interested in some great pictures of last year’s race, click here.

Tickets are available online through various booking agents.  However, you can also get tickets or make reservations in advance through the official Sepang Circuit website at http://www.malaysiangp.com.my.

Other options for transportation to Sepang Circuit include grabbing a cab from anywhere in KL or a bus from KL Sentral in Brickfields.  There is also a KTM commuter train from any point in KL to Nilai, where you can then grab a taxi or bus to reach Sepang.  If driving from KL,  you can take the Kesas Expressway or North-South Highway and turn off at the KLIA Interchange.  The drive will take approximately 45-minutes to reach the Circuit.  There is a toll ticket to pay for accessing both highways.